The Challenge will culminate in a Wood Stove Decathlon showcasing the finalists for the public, policymakers and the renewable energy community. At the Decathlon, the judges will give scores to each stove and select the winners. The Decathlon will be held in November 2013 on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE:

December 20th, 2012

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:

November 1st, 2013

LINK:

AWARD/PRIZE

$25,000, $10,000 split 2-3

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Since the submission date has already past, we would like to let people know that this challenge's final event the Wood Stove Decathlon is both the culminating event as well as a trade show which includes designs that were not submitted in the competition.

JURY

A panel of expert judges will award one to ten points for a maximum of 50 points in the following categories. The design that achieves the highest number of points wins.
Innovation (10 points)
Market appeal and ease of use (10 points)
Affordability (10 points)
Emissions (10 points)
Efficiency (10 points)
The Challenge is designed to maximize participation and minimize cost by not requiring third party emission and efficiency testing in advance of the Decathlon. Experts from an EPA accredited wood stove test lab will conduct extensive on-site emission and efficiency testing using mixed hardwood at the Decathlon. An expert panel of judges will also inspect designs, components and construction to assess durability and the potential of innovative technological features. Features could include heat transfer systems, integration of low cost sensor technology, digital displays of combustion information, combustion or venting fans or other novel features that consumers may value.

Judges will also assess how these new designs can improve real world use, including mitigating the emission and efficiency problems that arise when operators use cord wood that is not fully seasoned or fail to give their stove enough air. Stoves could include multiple innovative features or just one, integrate electronics requiring electricity, heat water or be used in combination with other renewable technologies.

While the inclusion of sensors, electronics, thermocouples, digital displays, etc. may be indicators of next generation stoves, judges will also be looking for simple, durable and affordable designs that also achieve significant emissions reductions and efficiency gains. Existing EPA certified stoves may be entered into the competition. The Organizers may also include EPA certified stoves and older uncertified stoves for sake of comparison.